Just how serious of a candidate is Christian Yelich for National League MVP?

CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 29: Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers slides into third base for a tripple in the 7th inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 29, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)(Photo11: Getty Images)

On Wednesday night, Christian Yelich delivered a game that will be considered one of the best overall performances in Brewers history. He went 6 for 6 and hit for the cycle, becoming the fourth player in team history to accomplish the former and the fourth since 1991 to accomplish the latter. He also threw out a runner at the plate from the outfield, sniping a go-ahead run that surely made a difference in a 13-12 win in 10 innings.

The performance came one night after he delivered his first career multi-homer game in a 9-7 loss. Naturally, it’s time we start reviewing Yelich’s case for National League MVP.

His numbers are absurd in the second half

Christian Yelich celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run.(Photo11: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

A good MVP narrative includes a second-half surge, and Christian Yelich has been on a tear since the all-star break. Since the All-Star Game on July 17 – in which he became the second Brewers player ever to homer, remember – he has a .372 average, .413 on-base percentage and a ridiculous .776 slugging percentage (1.189 OPS). He’s up to a career-best 26 homers, which is threatening Jesús Aguilar (30) for the team lead. He has only 75 RBI – which isn’t an eye-catching number and might ultimately work against him depending on the voters – but that’s also partially because he hits No. 1 or No. 2 in the order.

After his 6-for-6 showing, he was up to the league lead in batting average at .319. He’s second in the league in offensive WAR behind Cardinals standout Matt Carpenter. He’s third in OPS behind Carpenter and Nolan Arenado.

The Brewers could have the overall narrative working in their favor

Looking for their first playoff berth since 2011, the Brewers making the playoffs certainly would be a notable résumé-builder for Yelich’s candidacy. Throw in the fact he’s a new player on the team, and you can say he’s one of the missing ingredients from years past. His defense has helped Milwaukee establish one of baseball’s best defensive outfields.

But is he the best player on his own team?

Lorenzo Cain, at the very least, should steal votes away from Yelich if the MVP voting were held today. Cain has an overall WAR of 5.8 – far and away the best position-player mark in the National League – while Yelich is tied for fifth at 5.0. That has a lot to do with Cain’s superb center-field defense, but even the naked eye will tell you that the D has been good enough to help Milwaukee win ballgames, and Cain’s offense hasn’t exactly been sub-standard. He’s got a .400 OBP and .831 OPS.

Matt Carpenter is a problem right now

St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Carpenter follows the flight of his double to drive in two runs off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Chad Bettis in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 26, 2018, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)(Photo11: The Associated Press)

As it stands, the Cardinals are making their own run to the playoffs after a slow start, and Carpenter not only has some crazy numbers (leading the league with 34 homers, plus leading the league in slugging and OPS), but he also has the angle of starting slow before putting together a career year. And something about salsa. If the Cardinals finish ahead of the Brewers in the playoff chase, it’s hard to envision Carpenter missing out on the MVP award. His 156 wRC+ is tops in the league.

The field of MVP candidates

Matt Carpenter, St. Louis – The front-runner leads the league in homers, OPS and slugging for a playoff-caliber Cardinals team.

Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona – Like Carpenter, he struggled for the first part of the year but has certainly found it as the Diamondbacks' centerpiece. He has a .938 OPS and 30 bombs for the first-place team in the NL West, with a 150 wRC+ (second in the NL).

Nolan Arenado, Colorado – The Rockies third baseman has a .955 OPS with 31 homers for a team pushing to make the playoffs. He's also an outstanding defender with five Gold Gloves.

Javy Baez, Chicago Cubs – An infielder for the NL’s best team has tailed off a little bit still leads the league in RBI (97) and total bases (280) and is as flashy a defender as they come. He still has a .902 OPS and 28 homers.

Lorenzo Cain, Milwaukee – He leads the NL in position player WAR and is a brilliant centerfielder.

Aaron Nola, Philadelphia – The Phillies pitcher has a staggering 8.9 WAR to lead all players and has a crazy-good 15-3 record and 2.10 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP. He is a front-runner for the Cy Young Award.

Max Scherzer, Washington – The dominant Nationals pitcher has a 2.22 ERA, 16-6 record and league-leading marks in innings pitched, strikeouts and WHIP (9.884) as well as a 12.0 strikeouts-per-9 ledger. He’s a stud, but the Nationals have drifted out of the playoff picture, and that hurts him. He should win his fourth Cy Young Award this year.